Common Sense Reviewed Virtual Worlds

There are worlds I have got lost in from when I was a young kid. I would get lost in books, in virtual games, in movie worlds. Narnia, Middle Earth and Fantasia (from the Neverending Story fame) were my favorite places to get lost in. I’d dream of attending Hogwarts and walking the yellow brick road for exercise. On my way home, I’d stop by the Chocolate Factory for some scrumptious treats and watch the sunset at Planet Namek. It is healthy to nurture the growth of your imagination through books, movies and games. I find myself a well-adjusted adult because of it academics and extracurricular interests help with holistic learning.

It is no wonder that I continued being in touch with it as a parent and as a teacher. This has resulted in me creating a list of 3 of my favorite common sense reviewed virtual worlds for kids.

An RPG, this educational game aimed at the 6-15 age group occurs in a group of islands that you can travel to and explore while fighting your way through obstacles and completing age appropriate goals. Apart from its simple arcade style games, Poptronica helps encourage critical thinking and reasoning skills. My favorite island is the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory one where you can explore Wonka’s infamous heaven on earth and save it from the naughty kids’ destructive behavior.

A virtual pet game, Neopets starts with you adopting a pet and earning points with which you can buy food, clothes and shelter for your pet. For ages 8 and upwards, Neopets is a game that appeals to all age ranges and feature simple flash games, comics and a whole world called Neopia with different species of neopets, different cultures etc. What I love about this site is the universe built around it is so vast that your kids could easily learn about money, about taking up and fulfilling quests and about responsibility (the pets feel hunger, need to be read to to become cleverer, like playing with toys etc)

I must admit that this is on the list because I grow up immersed in this universe through the books and hoped an owl would come bearing good news sooner or later. What I love about Pottermore is that J.K. Rowling is directly involved in it, feeding short stories every now and then. What's more, the website brims with places you know and have come to love in the Harry Potter Universe. There are challenges you can take up, places to explore, people to meet - it is a complete magical journey.